A news update during the cricket.Energy Australia, warning consumers that prices will rise significantly due to the damage to infrastucture.Wish I could run me business in their business model.Just like insurance companies, we've taken a hit, so you pay more.Here an idea, let your shareholders carry the can for awhile.

I stayed home to wait for a plumber from a well known Brisbane company (who I thought we had used 6 years ago but I was wrong) to fix a small leak in the water mains. The leak was due to a small split in the polyline that had been clipped too tight to the brick wall. A very simple job that I could probably do myself in under an hour if I had the time (and it wasn’t illegal).

Said company had pre-warned me there would be a $50 call out and that the plumber would give me a written quote before doing the job. What they didn’t tell me was what a rip-off they were. They don’t charge by the hour but have a ‘fixed price’ based on the job - the plumber even had his “pricing book” with him.

Needless to say when I was quoted $450 (including the $50 call out fee) I said “yeah, nah”. Even he apologised but said that was they way they priced up work. Still insisted I paid the $50 which I did but have since convinced the company to refund it.

Rang up another plumber recommended by my neighbour. $99 per hour, no call out fee, reckons it will take him less than an hour and is coming first thing in the morning.

It does make me wonder how many people have been suckered by this other mob.

And don’t even get me started on the price some (again bigger but not big) companies are charging for fixing up previously flooded yards in Townsville. Again, my real estate got a quote for $5,000. I’ve since had quotes of $2,000 and $1,000. Sure the big company was going to more work but that work was also completely unnecessary. This work isn’t covered by insurance but I’m starting to see why insurance premiums are so high.

On a more positive note, had another young bloke come to look at cutting down a big old bottle tree. $550 compared to $1800 I was quoted in November by another mob (which I thought was a bit on the high side at the time but hadn’t got around to getting another price). He’s fully insured and got the job straight away. Tree will be gone next week.

I’m a big believer in that old saying, “a good days pay for a good days work”. But what I tend to find these days is that the bigger the company the bigger the tendency to “pull the wool over someone’s eyes”. Most small jobs I get done, I don’t even bother about getting a quote for. I just tell them what needs to be done, check their hourly rate is reasonable and let them get on with it. If I think they are taking the piss, I just thank them for their time and send them on their way but thankfully that is pretty rare in my experience.

I hadn’t heard that, but they are my electricity supplier so I will be keeping an eye on the next few bills. Might be time to do the ring around a find a better deal again. Thanks for the heads up..

They are our supplier as well.I had received an email a week ago stating that the feedin was going to be 2 cents less per kw & what we pay for power ws rising 2 cents a kw.I'm thinking this is on top of that price rise.I wait and see what the next invoice brings.

A news update during the cricket.Energy Australia, warning consumers that prices will rise significantly due to the damage to infrastucture.Wish I could run me business in their business model.Just like insurance companies, we've taken a hit, so you pay more.Here an idea, let your shareholders carry the can for awhile.

I'm just waiting for our insurances to go through roof.

I thought they were already in low earth orbit. Heading for deep space next.

I stayed home to wait for a plumber from a well known Brisbane company (who I thought we had used 6 years ago but I was wrong) to fix a small leak in the water mains. The leak was due to a small split in the polyline that had been clipped too tight to the brick wall. A very simple job that I could probably do myself in under an hour if I had the time (and it wasn’t illegal).

Said company had pre-warned me there would be a $50 call out and that the plumber would give me a written quote before doing the job. What they didn’t tell me was what a rip-off they were. They don’t charge by the hour but have a ‘fixed price’ based on the job - the plumber even had his “pricing book” with him.

Needless to say when I was quoted $450 (including the $50 call out fee) I said “yeah, nah”. Even he apologised but said that was they way they priced up work. Still insisted I paid the $50 which I did but have since convinced the company to refund it.

Rang up another plumber recommended by my neighbour. $99 per hour, no call out fee, reckons it will take him less than an hour and is coming first thing in the morning.

It does make me wonder how many people have been suckered by this other mob.

And don’t even get me started on the price some (again bigger but not big) companies are charging for fixing up previously flooded yards in Townsville. Again, my real estate got a quote for $5,000. I’ve since had quotes of $2,000 and $1,000. Sure the big company was going to more work but that work was also completely unnecessary. This work isn’t covered by insurance but I’m starting to see why insurance premiums are so high.

On a more positive note, had another young bloke come to look at cutting down a big old bottle tree. $550 compared to $1800 I was quoted in November by another mob (which I thought was a bit on the high side at the time but hadn’t got around to getting another price). He’s fully insured and got the job straight away. Tree will be gone next week.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I paid $600 (2006) to get a 20M tall blackbutt, that was about 1M diameter at the base, chopped down. A pretty good price, but I hadn't planted it in the first place, it would have been a lot cheaper.. Actually it was from a seed planted in a baked bean tin 20 years earlier, when we were in our Greeny conservation stage, trying to use local plants only in the yard.

Logged

4.2L TD Toyota Troopy, (Clarke's Country Camper Trailer, softfloor.) sold it and bought a Avan Ray small poptop caravan. I miss being able to acces the little tracks off into the scrub.

Heard a big chain supermarket is going to up the price on dairy products, fruit and vegetables due to the bushfires. Maybe someone smarter than me can explain what extra cost they will incur to justify that.

Heard a big chain supermarket is going to up the price on dairy products, fruit and vegetables due to the bushfires. Maybe someone smarter than me can explain what extra cost they will incur to justify that.

But why? I've never been accused of being overly intelligent but i just don't see how they can justify it. Or maybe they don't have to and we've just become so complacent we accept it.

Sent from my SM-T700 using Tapatalk

As Bird said,They DO NOT have to answer to anyone.

ACCC are a Toothless Tiger.Rudd employed a Fuel Commissioner, not sure if that position is still being active, but they did a piss poor job.NRMA tells you shop around, when you are a captive to a monopoly you have no choice.

Touch wood and fingers crossed, our local diesel is and has been @ 142.9 for about 12mths. The best part, apart from consistency, is that the servo was ‘renewed’ (all new tanks and bowser infrastructure) about 2 years ago. It has a high turnover and the cheapest price in town for ‘any’ fuel, so no concerns about contaminants caused by old tanks, etc.

Logged

We've waited 45 years to do this. Now our life will be complete!!2019 LC78 (troopy)2016 On The Move Crossfire